D&D 5E (2024) WotC Should Make 5.5E Specific Setting

[CreamCloud0]

Maybe, but setting isn't tied to mechanics in the first place. Not even Eberron which was billed as built for 3e. There are only two settings I can think of where mechanics have been tied to setting. Dark Sun and Birthright, and you can use any edition for Birthright.

there's a difference between mechanics being tied to setting like DS and BR and what we're talking about which is a setting designed in consideration of how the mechanics and system play out and what they imply about how the world works.

 

[Maxperson]

"Have Johnson figure it out."

(33% chance Johnson is lazy or a gremlin and the deadline comes before things can be fixed.)

 

[Maxperson]

Crashing a nation into a setting is pretty disruptive, and I can see why many long-term Forgotton Realms fans didn't like it.
But it has the advantage that the nation itself still has a history and culture, and you now have an entirely new group of people into the setting, that had their old ways and for which the established world is the new ways, where as for the pre-existing inhabitants, it's the other way around. That definitely defines a place for them in the setting, including some interesting dynamics based on that they are new arrivals. This creates many hooks, because you aren't just making up everything about the Dragonborn - they're the Dragonborn from an existing nation, they had a way of how they worked. They might be a bit of the odd man out when they leave their nation and explore Toreil - but they aren't the only ones, there are other Dragonborn in a similar situation, and there is still a definable culture with organizations, traditions and so on that you can base your character on, giving you some material to work with.

I just spent 10 seconds and came up with an island of Dragonborn off the coast of Chult that 10,000 years ago was subjected to a 12th level spell by a rival nation that catapulted the island into the far future. It just reappeared.

With 10 seconds I did essentially the same thing for the Forgotten Realms, giving Dragonborn a second home closer to the Sword Coast and making them native to Toril.

If I wanted to, I could build their reappearance into an adventure a group is on, or I could just have it be rumors and then have Dragonborn start migrating in northward from the island in large numbers, abandoning the island in fear that it would vanish again.

 

[Maxperson]

perhaps the current spell point system is a bit complex, but i think if the game was designed to use them as the base it would be far simpler than slots currently are.

Maybe, but I'm not convinced. Slots are really easy. Spell points are a resource that has to be tracked, can generally be applied as you will for more or less high/low level spells, depending on how you spend them, and so on. To make them simpler you'd have to restrict how you spend them, such as you can only spend them on a max of 4 per spell level up to say 6th level, and then a max of 2 per spell level after that, which is essentially just putting you back at slots.

 

[Minigiant]

I just spent 10 seconds and came up with an island of Dragonborn off the coast of Chult that 10,000 years ago was subjected to a 12th level spell by a rival nation that catapulted the island into the far future. It just reappeared.

With 10 seconds I did essentially the same thing for the Forgotten Realms, giving Dragonborn a second home closer to the Sword Coast and making them native to Toril.

If I wanted to, I could build their reappearance into an adventure a group is on, or I could just have it be rumors and then have Dragonborn start migrating in northward from the island in large numbers, abandoning the island in fear that it would vanish again.

The point is the Dragonborn are newcomers to the setting.

The point is the WOTC should make at least ONE setting where the Dargonborn are native and important to the setting.

 

[Parmandur]

Almost. I was thinking about it last night and there are still the named spells. Those are technically Greyhawk specific, since they name Greyhawk wizards. Mordenkainen, Leomund, Otto, etc. Not that those are enough to make the core rules Greyhawk, but the core isn't 100% setting free.

Well, that is part of the "First World" cosmic echoes cosmology which the Xore books lightly assume. Pretty easy to use or ignore as desired.

 

[Corinnguard]

The point is the WOTC should make at least ONE setting where the Dargonborn are native and important to the setting.

While I know you are referring to 5e/5.5e, weren't the Dragonborn native and important to 4e's Points of Light setting?

 

[Maxperson]

The point is the Dragonborn are newcomers to the setting.

The point is the WOTC should make at least ONE setting where the Dargonborn are native and important to the setting.

The point is that with what I came up with they are not newcomers. They were there and are native, and are important to the setting. And I could come up with dozens of other ways that they were there are along and important to the setting, just not in the forefront of gameplay up until now.

This is not rocket science and does not require a 7th(at least) kitchen sink setting to be made.

 

[Maxperson]

While I know you are referring to 5e/5.5e, weren't the Dragonborn native and important to 4e's Points of Light setting?

Maaaaybe? I didn't play 4e, so I don't really know.

 

[Corinnguard]

Maaaaybe? I didn't play 4e, so I don't really know.

It's cool. For a while I collected but did not play 4e. Then I came across a path that led me to Pathfinder for a while.